Annan lauds Iraq poll results

The UN Secretary General welcomed the results of last month's polls and pledged continued support for a democratic and united Iraq.

UN chief Kofi Annan on Friday welcomed the official provisional results of last month's Iraqi general elections and pledged continued support for a democratic and united Iraq.

"The Secretary General welcomes the announcement by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq of the preliminary results of the 15 December election," Annan's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"Once the final results are announced, (he) calls upon all Iraqi political parties to come together in a spirit of national reconciliation to form an inclusive and fully representative government that will serve all the Iraqi people," he added.

Annan said the UN remained fully committed to supporting the Iraqi people in their efforts to build "a peaceful, prosperous, democratic and united Iraq."

Uncertified results released by Iraq's electoral commission Friday said that the conservative Shiite United Iraqi Alliance won 128 of parliament's 275 seats, while its ally in the current government, the Kurdish Alliance, won 53 seats.

That left the Shiites and Kurds just three seats shy of the two-thirds majority needed to elect a president and push through constitutional reforms.